Fact Sheet: 2015 SFIA National Health Through Fitness Day

Date: 2/11/15

SFIA, PHIT America and 150 Executives and Celebrity Athletes from the Sports, Fitness & Health Industry To Meet with Congress to Support the PEP Program and Pass the PHIT ActCongressional Meetings on March 4 to Promote Physical Activity and Fitness to Reduce Health Care CostsFormer Football Great Herschel Walker to Chair Event

Meet with members of Congress to promote two initiatives that will help Americans (of all ages) adopt more physically active and healthy lifestyles.
(1) Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Bill provides grants to school districts to support innovative physical education methods… PE/PEP Demo (courtesy of Sportime and SPARK): 10:00 am – 2:00 pm location (Rayburn House Office Building: TBA)

(2) Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act would change current federal tax law to allow for the deduction or use of pre-tax dollars to cover expenses related to sports, fitness and other physical activities.

(3) Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Act – Have the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) update the guidelines every 10 years to provide recommendations based on a preponderance of current scientific and medical knowledge, and including guidelines for identified population subgroups, as needed.

With the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reporting that more than 50% of American adults don’t get the recommended amount of physical activity, we need to do more to encourage physically active lifestyles in America. PEP introduces young people to the importance of physical activity and PHIT will help reverse the obesity trend plaguing America -- where more than 120 million Americans are overweight, obese, and/or physically inactive.

PHIT America -- an educational, grassroots, advocacy and social media marketing campaign -- is designed to reach millions of Americans and create a Movement for a Fit and Healthy America. PHIT America will combat the obesity and sedentary activity crisis -- which is having an adverse effect on health care costs in the U.S. -- by promoting new legislation and grassroots programs that will help get Americans more active, playing more sports, exercising and becoming healthier. One of the unique features of PHITAmerica.org is the Participation Database (www.getfithere.org), which offers ways to become active and fit in more than 50 different sports or fitness activities.

FYI:

On Tuesday, March 3rd, SFIA will host the Capitol Reception with Athletes – from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center (room: SVC 210-212) ….. To keep up to date on what's happening with SFIA and SFIA's National Health Through Fitness Day, follow us on Twitter @phitamerica…….We will be using the hash tag #phitamerica for anything NHTF Day related……You are also encouraged and invited to be a 'fan' of National Health Through Fitness Day on our Facebook page to let your friends know that you support a physically active lifestyle.